Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 15: A 72-year-old senior citizen from Mangaluru has lodged a complaint at Pandeshwar police station after being cheated of Rs 7.19 lac by online fraudsters who lured him with promises of high investment returns.

According to the complaint, on October 3, the elderly man came across an investment advertisement on Facebook claiming lucrative profits. When he clicked on the link, it redirected him to a Telegram channel called ‘Trid Grip Manager’, where he was added to an investment group.

Within the group, the complainant came into contact with a person named Sagar, who asked him to pay Rs 19,300 as a registration fee. Following the instructions, he transferred the amount through UPI on October 5. Sagar then informed him that a senior manager would contact him for further investment guidance.

Later, another person named Satwik Shetty contacted the complainant, claiming to be an expert in international silver and gold trading. Satwik assured him that he could earn Rs 13 lac in profit through global market investments. Trusting him, the complainant transferred Rs 7 lac on October 8.

Subsequently, he received small credits of Rs 1,420 and Rs 11,539 in his account, which made him believe the investment was genuine. However, Satwik again persuaded him to invest more, claiming there was an opportunity to join a group of 60 American companies that could yield Rs 30 lakh in profit. He even claimed to open an account in the complainant’s name by depositing US $1,000, and urged him to invest Rs 10 lac.

Growing suspicious, the senior citizen contacted the Cyber Helpline on October 10 and later filed an official complaint at Pandeshwar Police Station.

He has requested the police to take stringent action against Sagar, Satwik Shetty, and the administrators of the Trid Grip account manager Telegram group for defrauding him of his hard-earned savings.